Growing up in the 1980s provided me a very interesting take on life in the businessworld. Rather than looking at work as dull and pointless, I've learned to view it like a video game. Projects are nothing more than quests. Office supplies are, well, supplies. The key to succeeding in the work place is realizing you have complete control over how you interact with the environment. You simply have to find the right strategy guide and you're on your way to winning!Look at your work like a video game and you'll master it in no time.DRESS FOR SUCCESSMario has a suit for every job. When he needs to ... view article details

Q: Dear Heather,I really need to get out of where I'm working. It's toxic and completely reactionary. My boss (whom I'd worked with elsewhere in happier times) just resigned after only one month in her position! Sandy is known for her skill in improving business infrastructure but couldn't tolerate what she termed 'arrogant' and 'immature' behavior from management (they never listen to anyone and think they're always right). I feel like I have no control over things, especially now that my old boss has left. It's like I'm on an island all by myself. I'm single—no kids. All I really have to sho... view article details

The purpose of insurance is to protect people against financial disaster when they are unable to earn a living because of sickness or injury, or to give their dependents some type of income after they die. Whether to purchase insurance is an important financial decision about protecting one's earnings and lifestyle.Many companies pay the entire insurance premium, or pay up to a certain amount of coverage. Some employers require waiting periods, where for example an employee may receive limited benefits for the first year of employment and additional benefits on each anniversary of the start da... view article details

Hot to Nail Down Your First Job Are you planning a transition “from college to career?” You won’t want to miss out on advice from Lindsey Pollak, a recognized expert on next-generation career trends. She recently released a new edition of her terrific book, Getting from College to Career.  In this second of a two-part Q & A with Lindsey (read Part I here), she outlines some best practices for networking, following up, and transitioning to your first job.Harness the Power of Twitter Q: In addition to LinkedIn, what online tools do you think are most helpful for new grads to im... view article details

"Politics" is Not a Dirty Word The politics of Obama, Romney & Co. are on everyone’s lips these days as the challengers and incumbents in the race for the highest office in the land battle it out on a global stage. Alas, the commentary’s rarely positive.  These days the term politics has become a four-letter word for many, in part because it represents a fraternity that spends more time defending itself than abiding by its dictionary definition: activities which are associated with government. The word has evolved to mean: the relational dynamics associated with influencing and govern... view article details

Health benefits concern the physical well being of employees and their families. Broadly speaking, this could include such things as medical coverage, dental and vision insurance, prescription drug plans, certain types of disability coverage, and counseling services, often called employee personal assistance programs (EAP). You might also have a flexible spending account, which allows you to pay for certain medical and dependent care expenses out of pretax dollars.Dental plansDental plans come in almost as many forms as regular healthcare coverage. Basic dental coverage usually has categories ... view article details

When my wife and I began to gather receipts and other scraps of paper for our taxes this year, I called our long-time accountant with a routine request for an organizer to help us make sense of all the numbers. 'I already sent it to you,' the accountant hissed. But no matter how disorganized my wife and I may be, we knew we had not received that vital piece of mail.I called her back a few weeks later with a follow-up query. 'I don't really have time to handle individual tax returns this year. I've got all the business I need,' she snarled. 'I can't find any trained people to help me.'And so, w... view article details

Which Coworkers are the Most Annoying? Coworkers. Good ones can be the reason you stay at a job, while horrible colleagues can make every day in the office a living hell from which you’d like nothing more than to escape.If you’ve spent a few years in the ranks of the working class, you’ve no doubt experienced a cornucopia of annoying coworkers. But have you ever wondered which ones are the worst of the bunch? We did, and so I drew on my own experiences and polled other Salary.com workers to come up with the nine most annoying types of coworkers on the planet.See if you recognize anyon... view article details

Fall from Grace At exactly 9:53 AM Central Time, on June 19, Jonah Lehrer ceased to be science writing’s Wunderkind and found himself in the virtual company of journalistic miscreants who've straddled and overstepped the lines of what’s ethical in journalism. Exposed by media critic Jim Romenesko, Lehrer, the prolific writer and author of books such as 'Imagine: How Creativity works' and 'How we Decide' and blogger of counterintuitive studies and ideas, was found to have repeatedly reused chunks of his previously published work, sometimes slightly modified, in subsequent articles and ... view article details

Workers Are Negotiating Less Often We love all things salary negotiation. It’s our business, our passion, and the reason our company exists. But it’s not enough for us to love it, we need you to love it as well.Unfortunately, many of you aren’t convinced of the importance of negotiating your salary.For the last few years we’ve conducted a survey to determine how often people negotiate, when they negotiate, and why they’re afraid of negotiating. It culminates in our annual Salary Negotiation Week, in which you can pick up some great tips on salary negotiation tactics. This year, we sur... view article details